Can opener



G. e. PERKINS May 1, 1951 CAN OPENER Filed Feb. 18. 1946 Patented May 1, 1951 ITED STATES PATENT OFFICE .CAN OPENER :George iPerkinaLynn,

'Application'Febtuary 18, 1B46,'Se1" iaTNo.-648;329

This invention relates *to a scan opener zfor iuserin removing :the tops of tin -;cans which are :made in the-usual manner with a rolled head.

,It is an object-of "the invention to provide :a can opener which is simple and rugged :instruciture, which is easy to manipulate, which can be made inexpensively, @and which :can be used :to .iiemove the top of a -.can, leaving a smooth put ifinee :trom any jagged edges.

As .:hereinafter described :in detail, the inven- -tion-canrbeembodied in an opener made of'istrip steel oraother suitable material which is :suitably shaped and to which :is rigidly attached a :ijblade zand azfiulcrum pin.

For :a more :complete :undersitanding of the :ini Figure 2 is a Iragmentary elevation of the head .portion of the opener and part :of :the handle portion; I

Figure 3 isasideedge view of thesame;

Figure 4 "is ase'c'tion on the line 1-4 of Figure 2; Figureeisafragmentaryelevation of the upper portion of '-a tin can showing the opener in "position to commence the opening separation;

fi ligure fiiis-a viewsimilarto 'Figure 5 but-showing itheopener in the osition assumed-=after the first out has been made;

Figure 7 is a section on the line 'I1 of Figure 5,

Figure 8 is ur6.". r 1

The opener shown on the drawing is preferably made of strip steel stock of considerable rigidity and preferably of the order of "1 3 of an inch in thickness. The width of the strip stock may be of an inch or any other width suitable for the purpose. As shown, the opener comprisesa head a section on the line 8-8 of Figportion l8 and a handle portion I 2. The latter may be transversely bent for a considerable portion of its length to provide a more comfortable grip. If desired, a suitable notch l4 may be formed in one side edge of the handle portion, this notch being shaped in such a way as to form a hook l6 adapted for use in removing crown caps of bottles. For convenience in manipula tion, the strip is bent as at l8 between the head portion I 8 and the handle portion I2 so that the latter extends at an oblique angle from the head portion as indicated in Figure 7.

The extreme end of the head portion is preferably rounded as at 20, the contour being approxi- 1.5 .Glaims. (Claw-e221) mately that -;of a rsemiecircle. Parallel with this end portion is *a :blade 22 whichis trigidl-y :secured along its upper margin to the rear wall 24 .of the head portion by rivets 28 or other equivalent means. Aspacingelement 281s mounted between the :blade 22and the rear wall '24 so that the lower portion of the blade is spaced from the rear wall by a distance fjust sufficient toyreceive the upstanding rolled bead at the top of a tin can. QAs 'indicated'in Figure 7, the conventional structure of a tin can such as is commonly used for food stuffs includes a cylindrical wall .30 and 1'3, top 32.. The top .32 is below the level of the extreme upper edge of the side wall '30 and its peripheral margin :is :rolled over the upper 'rimof the wall 3ll-soras to form a rolledbead 34 as shown. This bead is tightly :clamped .on the upper rim of 'therside wall ;30 and is usuallyreinforced fey Solder lto seal the seam formed by the rolled ahead.

FIFhe-mear wall '24 of the head portion of the opener :is preferably given a curvature, as indicatediin Figure 3, sunicient to conform approximatelyto tetheicurvatureof ;a tin can of ordinary size. The blade :22 is also given a similar curvatune so that ;a portion'of the rolled bead 3.4 can beqreceived :between the wall 24 and the blade 22 as indicated z-insFfigures :5 and 7. The contour of the blade22 {is preferablysimilar to the contour of :the-end ,portionof the well 24 but may *be a little iShQllZBI :as {indicated :in :Figure 4, the bottom edges of the blade and wall being'bevelledzin the same direction as therein shown. The rear end of the blade 22 is preferably a straight transverse edge 36 which forms with the bottom or cutting edge of the blade a sharp corner 38 which is employed to pierce the top 32 of the can when the opening operation is begun.

. Projecting from the front face of the wall 24 is a fulcrum pin 40. This pin is preferably knurled as indicated and is seated near the lower edge of the head portion In. It is offset rearwardly from the blade 38 by a distance somewhat less than the height of the rolled bead 34. Thus, when the opener is mounted on the can in the position shown in Figures 5 and 7, the pin 48 engages under the shoulder formed by the lower edge of the outer portion of the rolled head 34 and the blade 22 projects below the top of the bead and bears against the inside portion thereof. In order to mount the opener in this position, the handle I2 is swung out at an angle of 45 from the side wall 30 of the can. The opener is then pressed down upon *thefrolled bead 34 so that the bead enters the clearance between the pin 40 length is made.

and the adjacent blade edge 36. The handle is then swung down to the position shown in Figure 7 whereupon the fulcrum 40 engages under the outer portion of the rolled bear 34. The opener is then in position to start the opening operation. This operation is started by swinging the handle in the direction indicated by the arrow in Figure 5. The opener rocks about the pin 40 as a fulcrum to the position shown in Figure 6. Since the blade corner 38 is very close to the top 32 of the can when the opener is in its initial position, as illustrated in Figure 5, this rocking movement forces the blade corner 38 through the top 32 at a point closely adjacent to the inner surface of the rolled bead 34. The handle is then rocked downward and hitched along slightly so that the next upward rocking movement will result in an extension of the original cut made by the blade 22. These rocking and hitching movements are repeated until a cut of sufficient If desired, the entire top 32 within the bead 34 may be cleanly cut out.

I claim: 1. A can opener for tin cans having a rolled bead at the top thereof, said opener having a handle portion and a head portion forming a rigid unit, said head portion comprising a rear wall joined to the handle portion, a blade supported at its upper margin by said rear wall and spaced from said wall to receive the thickness of said bead therebetween, a fixed fulcrum pin on the front face of said wall near the lower edge thereof, said pin being offset toward the handle from the blade by a distance slightly less than the height of said exterior bead, the lower edge of the blade being approximately in line with the lower side of the pin.

2. A can opener for tin cans having a rolled bead at the top thereof, said opener having a handle portion and a head portion forming a'rigid unit, said head portion comprising a rear wall joined to the handle and curved to conform approximately to the curvature of a can wall and a blade supported at its upper margin by said rear wall and spaced from said wall to receive the thickness of said bead therebetween, the lower edge of said blade being the cutting edge, and a knurled fulcrum pin on the front face of said rear Wall above the level of the lower edge of said blade and offset from said blade toward saidhandle by a distance slightly less than the height of said bead.

3. A can opener for a can having a rolled bead at the top thereof, said opener comprising a rigid metal strip rounded at one end, a rigid blade having a contour similar to that of the terminal portion adjacent to the rounded end rigidly secured at its upper margin to said strip in parallel relation thereto and spaced therefrom by a distance slightly greater than the thickness of said rolled bead, the lower edge of said blade being the cutting edge, and a fulcrum pin secured to said strip near the lower edge thereof and laterally offset from said blade by a distance slightly less than the height of said rolled head.

4. A can opener for tin cans having a rolled bead at the top thereof, said opener comprising a rigid metal strip having a head portion longitudinally curved to conform approximately to the curvature of a can wall and a rigid blade joined at its upper margin to said bead portion and spaced therefrom by a distance slightly greater than the thickness of said rolled bead, the lower edge of the blade being the cutting edge, and a fulcrum pin mounted on said strip near a side edge of said blade and above said cutting edge.

' 5. A can opener for a can having a rolled bead at the top thereof, said opener having a handle portion and a head portion forming a rigid unit, said head portion comprising a rear wall joined to the handle portion, a blade parallel to and spaced from said rear wall, and means rigidly connecting said blade and rear wall near their upper edges, and a fulcrum element secured to said rear wall near the lower edge thereof and located so that its lowermost point is substantially flush with the lower edge of the blade.

GEORGE G. PERKINS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

p UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Pohle July 29, 1941 

